Newbie from Canada

Good morning all. My name is Gail. My Husband Richard and I are planning
a cruise for November. This will be our first.

Any suggestions, tips etc would be very helpful.

Hi Redhead We're glad you found us!

Have you selected a cruise line or ship yet? If not, there are a lot of great travel agents on here that could really help you out in making your decision!

Let us know what you have in mind and we'll be happy to give you all the advice you can stand

Welcome Redhead! What type of vacations have you enjoyed in the past? What was it that attracted you to cruising? What are you looking forward to doing on the cruise and where to?

Cruising is loads of fun and each cruise line and even ships within the lines are all different and cater to different folks. The more you know about the type of vacation experience you are looking for the easier it is to match you up with the right cruise line, ship and itinerary.

Also, don't stress about getting it perfect the first time unless you are splurging for that "once in a life time" experience and won't be able to go again for quite some time. It took my husband and I five cruises on four different lines before we figured out what was right for us.

Look through the boards and post your questions or the answers to these and everyone will overload you with advice

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising!

Welcome aboard Gail & Richard. My DIL is from just outside Ottawa (Kanada) and we have visited there twice during the Winterlude Festivals. Had a great time but BOY was it cold.

Glad you are choosing cruising. One thought for you since it will be your first. While many of us Old Timers (I really am old) negotiate our own air to and from and excursions while on the cruise, you might want to use the cruise line for your first cruise. It's more expensive this way but is generally safer meeting time schedules. i.e If you take an excursion on an island and it is late returning to the ship, the ship will wait for their own excursions but may not wait for one booked privately. Also, if you fly to meet your ship, say to Miami, and the airline causes you to be late - the same scenario.

Most of us fly in a day or two early and just add that time to the vacation.

As mentioned above, ask specific questions - we love answering them.

Bibb

"There are no bad cruises, some are just better than others."

Hi, Gail & Richard-
The thing to keep in mind is that you won't be the only people on the ship that are cruising for the first time. In fact, most of the passengers will be first-timers!
Just 'go with the flow,' and enjoy. After the first day, you'll settle in and just enjoy.

aboard

Hello Gail & Richard,

Congratulations on planning your first cruise! I'm sure it will be one of many to come. Cruising is a fantastic vacation! My husband took his first cruise last year. Since then he has been on three. He loves cruising as much as I do!!

Please let us know what kind of questions you have! We're here to help!